Margarine package



Sept. 15, 1953 B. 'nl-IENSGEN Erm. 2,652,336

MARGARxNE PACKAGE Filed Sept. 26, 1949 INVENTORS Bernard T. Hensgzq D@an EI. Ruzckzrf' Patented Sept. 15, 1953 MARGARINE PACKAGE Bernard T.Hensgcn, Chicago, and Dean E.

Rueckert, Mokena, Company, Chicago,

Ill., assignors to Swift & Ill., a. corporationofrlllinoisApplicationSeptember 26, 1949, Scria1,No..117,866

3 Claims.

This invention1 relates to a novel means for coloring. margarine,A andAmore particularly to a means for coloring margarine without removing themargarine from its originall package.

The methods proposed in the prior art for the coloring Of'uncolloredmargarine by the purchaser may be divided roughly into two groups:

(.l's) The oldenmethorlwhich comprises enclosing ai. separate colorpacket: or capsule with the margarine print, the mixing taking place ina bowl or thelike, and

(.2)` The-more modern method of enclosing both a color` capsule and amargarine print within .al single ilexible package, the capsule beingadapted4 to. be squeezed and the color mixed throughout the margarine byVkneading the said; package.

Certain defects are inherent with both of these prior art methods. Withregard to Method 1 above, it is both messy and time-consuming. Inaddition some of the product is lost by sticking tothe various utensilsused in the mixing. With regardto Methodv 2,` there is great danger ofthe color pellet breaking in transit or in handling with a resultingpremature coloring of the margarine. Due to the various Federal andState taxes on colored margarine, such premature coloring necessitateseither the withdrawal of the damaged package from the grocers shelves orthe sale thereof as colored margarine at a considerably higher price.Since such premature coloring usually resultsin an unattractive,spletchy appearance of the package, undesirable to thehousewife-consumer, the damaged package must usually be considered asubstantially total loss from the retailers point of View.

The package of this invention, in a sense, combnes the advantageousfeatures of the older methods outlined above, and at the same time avoidthe aforementioned defects inherent in such older methods.

It is an object of the present invention to provide' a means whereby thecoloring of margarine and the like may be carried out in its originalpackage.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a means forcolorngmargarine and the like whereby pnematurecoloring of the margarineis impossible.

Additional objects if not specifically pointed outhereinwill be apparentto one skilled in the art from the following detailedY description ofthis invention.

Generally, the present invention comprises a means for. bringingmargarine to the housewifeconsumer in. acondition such that coloringmatter maybe introduced by such consumer into the saidmargarine withinits original container and therein mixed with. the said margarine toprovide; a uniform. coloring thereof.

.More particularly the present invention contemplates the packaging ofmargarine in a pli- `consumer who purchases the package.

2. able, flexible container,i which container is provided with a valveyor opening into the interior thereof. Such container, together with acolor- -containing meansis purchased by the consumer, the coloringmaterialA isreleased into the package by a ,simplemanipulatiom the valveor opening in the said package closed, and the package kneaded orsqueezed to uniformly mix the coloring material throughout themargarine.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one type of package embodyingV thepresent invention.

`Figure 2 illustrates one type of color-containing means especiallyadapted for use with the package of Figure 1.

Figure 1 illustrates a package having an inwardly extending valve l0. Arelatively stiff insert S is preferably used to form this valve forreasons which will become apparent. In some instances the insert maycomprise merely two strips of the same material as that used in the body0f the package, each of the strips being secured at oneend tothe packagewall and forming two exible flaps extending downwardly in face-to-facerelationship with each other in the manner illustrated in Figure 1. Inthis method the margarine'print is introduced into the valved packagethrough an open end thereof, the ends sealed and the package insertedinto a carton. Thecolor-introducing means A, packed with and adaptedforuse with this type of package is illustrated in Figure 2 and comprisesessentially a plastic body l2 containing a color-pellet 4. A hollow tubei3 which mayv be of plastic or other suitable material' provides aconnection between the pellet-containing space within plastic body l2and the outer atmosphere. When the housewife desires to color themargarine contained inv this typeofpackage she picks up the saidcolor-introducing means,` which is adhesively secured to thefsurface ofthepackage or otherwise fastened theretoA by a metal clip, tape, or thelike, as illustratedy in Figure l, and inserts the hollow tubeIB-thereof into the valve space formed by the recessed sides of therelatively stiff insert a, the said recessed sides of the insert actingas a guide` means-for the hollowv tube I3. The said valve Nr ispreferably covered at its outer end with a disc of' thin,` weakenedplastic material or the like H which may be easily pierced by theinsertionv of the said hollow tube. Instead of aseparate disc,thevcontainer wall may be provided' with a weakened spot immediatelyabove the opening formed by the insert, said spot being suitably markedto indicate its location to the Once the tube is inserted, the plasticpellet-containing body l2 isL squeezed to rupture the color pellet 4LThe coloring material drains down through the said hollow tube |13"V andinto the margarine withinbag 2. The color-introducing means A is thenwithdrawn and the bag squeezed in the direction ofl thearrowszin `Figure1 to cause the said relatively stiif insert 9 to fold into the positionindicated by the dotted lines in the said figure, effectively sealingthe valved opening i9 permitting the package 2 to be thereafter kneadedand worked to uniformly distribute the color throughout the margarine.

The above described means are merely illustrative of many modiiicationswhich maybe arrived at in applying the concept of this invention to thecoloring of margarine by the consumer.

The material of which the packages embodying the present invention aremade should possess the characteristics of exibility and pliabilitynecessary to permit kneading and' squeezing l thereof. Likewise, thesaid material should be sturdy enough to prevent tearing during themixing operation and also should be capable of being heat sealed.Translucence is an additional property which it is desirable for thematerial to possess. Some examples of materials which may be used inmanufacturing the package of the present invention are laminated vinylchloride films, polyethylene films, Buna-N or other rubber hydrohalidefilms, Pliolm, etc. The dyes used for coloring the margarine may be anyof the type of oil-soluble organic dyes conventionally used in the priorart.

The advantages of the present invention are readily apparent. It isobvious that there is no danger of any premature coloring of themargarine by the color-introducing means since at no time until thehousewife or consumer actually desires the coloring to take place is thesaid color-introducing means within the package of margarine. Should thecolor be released due to breakage in transit or in handling prior tosale, the color is prevented from touching the margarine by reason ofthe plastic, iiexible bag within which the margarine is placed. Apackage which has been thus mishandled may readily be replaced incondition for consumer acceptance by wiping the color Jfrom the exteriorof the bag either with a dry cloth or if necessary with a clothsaturated with a suitable solvent for the particular dye used in thecolor-pellet, and furnishing a new color-introducing means for usetherewith. Such color-introducing means may be supplied to the retailerfor emergencies such as this and thus permit him to keep his merrchandise constantly moving to the consumer without the necessity ofhaving each mishandled margarine package returned to the packer forreplacement. if desired, the outer carton may be supplied with atransparent window to permit easy inspection of the interior of the saidcarton to determine if any breakage has occurred. The housewife likewisebenefits by the present invention. In addition to the aesthetic value toher of not Ending the margarine splotched with prematurely-releasedcoloring matter, she has the added advantage of being able to mix thecoloring and the margarine together in the original margarine packageshould she so desire. If she should prefer the older, so-calledmixing-bowl method she may remove the margarine from the package andutilize such method without the difficulty of trying to detach the colorpellet from the interior of the package, which dimculty is present inthe earlier discussed Method 2 of the prior art. Likewise, should shedesire to use uncolored margarine, the package may be cut without fearof rupturing any enclosed color-containing capsule.

From the above it is apparent that the present invention embodies theadvantages of the prior art methods previously discussed and at the sametime obviates the disadvantages inherent therewith. This inventionshould find wide commercial usage and acceptance since it overcomes theoutstanding objections to the known methods for coloring margarine inthe manner aforesaid.

We claim:

l. A package for the coloring of margarine or the like comprising: apliable, flexible container, a weakened spot on one wall of saidcontainer at a point remote from the mouth of said container, and aninsert aflixed to the inside of the container wall directly beneath saidweakened spot, said insert comprising a pair of L-shaped members placedback to back with the inwardlyextending portion of each having arecessed segment extending the full length thereof, the recessed segmentof one forming with the recessed segment of the other a passageextending from said weakened spot on the container wall to the interiorof saidcontainer, the said L-shaped members being secured one to theother along each side of said recessed segments.

2. In a pliable, flexible package for margarine or the like whereincoloring is to be introduced into the margarine and uniformly mixedtherewith by kneading of the package, the improvement comprising: aninsert aixed to an interior wall of the package at a point remote fromthe mouth thereof, said insert having a pair of inwardly extendingmembers secured one to the other along their inwardly-extending edgesand providing a recessed passage extending therebetween to permitcommunication between the interior and exterior of said package, and adisc of easily rupturable material secured to the exterior of saidpackage wall immediately above and forming a closure for the passageformed by said insert.

3. A package, containing a plastic commodity into which a fiuid mediumis to be inserted and subsequently mixed with said commodity by kneadingof the package and its contents, comprising: a pliable, flexiblecontainer having an open mouth through which the plastic commodity maybe charged to the container, said mouth then being scalable tocompletely enclose said plastic commodity within said container; aweakened, easily rupturable spot within one wall of said container at apoint remote from said mouth through which a iiuid medium may beinjected; and an insert, having a pair of inwardlyextending membersdeiining a passage through which said iiuid medium may be introducedinto said plastic commodity, affixed to the interior wall of saidcontainer immediately beneath said weakened spot, said insert beingadapted to fold toward the wall to which it is afiixed to seal saidpassage upon kneading of the container.

BERNARD T. HENSGEN. DEAN E. RUECKERT.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 623,198 Bates Apr. 18, 1899 1,089,279 Simer et al Mar. 3, 19141,474,248 English Nov. 13, 1923 1,476,560 Witmer Dec. 4, 1923 2,373,340Rohdin Apr. 10, 1945 2,469,204 Peters May 3, 1949 2,469,521 Rohdin May10, 1949 2,488,038 Sharkey Nov. 15, 1949

1. A PACKAGE FOR THE COLORING OF MARGARINE OR THE LIKE COMPRISING: APLIABLE, FLEXIBLE CONTAINER, A WEAKENED SPOT ON ONE WALL OF SAIDCONTAINER AT A POINT REMOTE FROM THE MOUTH OF SAID CONTAINER, AND ANINSERT AFFIXED TO THE INSIDE OF THE CONTAINER WALL DIRECTLY BENEATH SAIDWEAKENED SPOT, SAID INSERT COMPRISING A PAIR OF L-SHAPED MEMBERS PLACEDBACK TO BACK WITH THE INWARDLYEXTENDING PORTION OF EACH HAVING ARECESSED SEGMENT EXTENDING THE FULL LENGTH THEREOF, THE RECESSED SEGMENTOF ONE FORMING WITH THE RECESSED SEGMENT OF THE OTHER A PASSAGEEXTENDING FROM SAID WEAKENED SPOT ON THE CONTAINER WALL TO THE INTERIOROF SAID CONTAINER, THE SAID L-SHAPED MEMBERS BEING SECURED ONE TO THEOTHER ALONG EACH SIDE OF SAID RECESSED SEGMENTS.